


Mahjong-Bicycle-Kyoto (AU): HughNor Edition

by Spinifex



Series: MAHJONG - BICYCLE - KYOTO (AU) [2]
Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, By Fade I Mean Abruptly Cut, Elnor has Cats, Elnor is Intrigued, Fade to Black, Fluff and Humor, Hugh has a Lusty Crush, M/M, Meet-Cute, Perving more like, Pining, Soji Ships It, Sort-of, aikido
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-27 02:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30115800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spinifex/pseuds/Spinifex
Summary: Hugh has his eye on Soji's Aikido master.Random tales from the Mahjong-Bicycle-Kyoto AU.
Relationships: Elnor/Hugh | Third of Five
Series: MAHJONG - BICYCLE - KYOTO (AU) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2216115
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	Mahjong-Bicycle-Kyoto (AU): HughNor Edition

**Author's Note:**

> The beta reader for this little addition was Jazzfic. Thanks! <3 :)

**(1.)**

At the end of his first visit to the dojo, Hugh is almost too distracted by the sight of his friend’s Aikido instructor to give feedback on what he just watched. Soji is sweaty and glowing and full of interest as she sidles over to him once the lesson’s over. 

“So what did you think?” Soji says.

Hugh fumbles out something generic that razor-sharp Soji is unlikely to fall for, but thankfully doesn’t bother to call him on. Fighting desperately to just act casual, Hugh rounds out his non-assessment with an innocent question on the name of her instructor. He’s relieved that his voice sounds, to his own estimation, much steadier.

“Oh, Elnor-sensei?” Soji says, glancing back over her shoulder to where the younger man is responding to a request from eager students. Hugh follows her gaze to look at him: His long black hair is pulled into a half-ponytail behind his ears and it cascades over his slim shoulders in an attractive waterfall. His narrow form is accentuated by the belt around his waist and the wide pants that make the outfit of a master. The man’s movements as he trained his students carried a power and elegance that flowed out through every posture and straight to Hugh’s... _uh-hnn_. **Well**. Nowhere cerebral, at any rate. “-the advanced students as well on Thursdays.” Hugh’s attention snaps back to Soji’s face and her suspicious eyebrow that clearly states that she knows Hugh didn’t listen to a word she was saying. 

Soji punches Hugh in the arm for his troubles and tugs him to the main doors of the dojo. “I’m going to get changed back into my street clothes and then you can meet me out here for the trip home,” Soji says. Then she nods him towards the twenty-something who is looking bored at the reception desk. 

“Maybe you should book another visitor’s session for next week?” She winks, sly: because nothing ever gets past her. “If you’re interested in watching...”

She doesn’t even give him a moment for denial before she flounces off towards the women’s change rooms and vanishes from sight.

*****

If Soji catches Hugh tucking a visitor’s pass into his wallet with a sheepish grimace when she emerges later, then she only smirks a little at him, but offers nothing.

**(2.)**

The beginning of Hugh’s second visit is no less awkward than the ending of his first. 

At least the receptionist on this visit is a different twenty-something to the one from last time. Hugh has mixed feelings, mostly of stupidity, but that is mixed in with a healthy helping of anticipation as he takes a cushion in the visitors’ area and waits with the paying audience for the advanced student’s session to begin. 

Serendipitously, and through absolutely _no premeditated planning whatsoever_ on Hugh’s person, the trainer for this Thursday’s session just happens to be Elnor. It really is very fortuitous and totally surprising indeed! Soji isn’t in this class, her level is intermediate. Hugh only feels a very tiny bit guilty that he’s watching this Aikido session over hers, but Soji has plenty of other friends who are quite happy to come along and watch her. So Hugh has decided that he isn’t really doing her an unforgivable disservice. 

Hugh watches Elnor take the students through their paces. His steady voice is firm as he describes each posture and then demonstrates on different class members, using slow, deliberate movements. Then the students practice with each other. Elnor walks around the training room, correcting forms and demonstrating maneuvers where relevant. Hugh imagines Elnor’s body moving in ways that are completely intellectually-focused and entirely innocent. The control in every part of Elnor’s form has a briskly stimulating impact on Hugh’s - let’s call them synaptic pathways. He’s rather stimulated. Aikido is an intriguing and respected art form, worthy of very detailed attention. Really.

Hugh is thankful for the autumn weather being cool enough to need a sweater as his purely academic interest in the procedures requires him to carefully cross his legs together and fold his jacket in his lap for focal reasons. 

Concentration shouldn’t be this hard.

**(3.)**

Hugh’s third visit as a spectator to Soji’s dojo in as many weeks is a shock to many people for many reasons. 

Hugh is shocked and a little mortified when the twenty-something at reception does a double take at Hugh’s arrival when she recognises him. The receptionist’s own shock is evident when she blurts without thinking, that “Oh! You’ve come to watch Master Elnor?” and takes his pass for stamping. She hands it back across the counter with a service smile while Hugh’s still blushing. Something about the way her dark eyes sparkle tells him Soji has been talking. 

The second portion of that Thursday’s session is devoted to blocking attacks. Elnor demonstrates a movement, and then the students try it on him, aiming to break past Elnor’s defences. The third and fourth shocking experiences of that evening occur when Hugh’s gaze catches Elnor’s as the younger man is in the middle of a demonstration. Elnor’s eyes flick over Hugh watching him, a stunned look shifting Elnor’s face, curious and appraising. The shocked moment when Elnor’s lips part softly open as he wets them with his tongue is enough to set Hugh on fire and his blood goes pounding to his head. 

No, not _that_ one. 

But it is _very_ hard. For Hugh to break that eye contact even as Elnor’s attention is diverted. Elnor’s student, unaware of the chain of events that is happening between them - unexpectedly breaks through her Sensei’s defense and unceremoniously knocks Elnor over. She sends him flying. That student, therefore, is the fifth person to experience a shock when her respected instructor succumbs to an attack which should not have been that devastating. She starts apologising, her small ears turning pink. 

The students and audience let out a collective gasp as Elnor’s back hits the tatami mat. Elnor winces as he catches his breath before slowly rolling to his feet. His ears look like they’re burning as Elnor pulls himself upright, then dares a look in Hugh’s direction through dark lashes before waving his student’s apologies away. Hugh continues watching as Elnor clears his throat and awkwardly continues the lesson without looking at the audience again.

*****

That evening Hugh goes home and has a long wank in the shower as a treat while he very carefully tries and fails not to fantasise about Elnor and his assessing eyes, or wetted lips. 

The shower cleans the mess away. 

Then Hugh resolves not to visit the dojo for at least another two weeks, or ever again, if he can help it. 

**(4, 5, 6.)**

The fourth and fifth and sixth visits to Elnor’s dojo are much the same. They also stand as a testament to Hugh’s absolute failure to keep his one resolution to himself. The reassuring aspects of these interactions are that: one, while it is entirely too embarrassing to be recognised by the twenty-something at reception, it’s also terribly convenient to have his few yen change already piled up on the counter in exchange for his twenty when he arrives.

And speaking of anticipation: The second very interesting aspect of Hugh’s continued visits is the way that Elnor’s accidental glances quickly morph into a very deliberate start to the sixth evening. Where Elnor starts by looking across at Hugh and then devoting an endless moment of attention to him. His black eyes trail Hugh over: up and down. Elnor’s lips curl into a pensive smile and turns back to face his students. It’s a miracle neither of them catches fire. 

Delicately, Hugh bundles his jacket over his legs. 

Hugh watches Elnor begin his lesson with a greeting to his class. Any extra muscle flexing and heated glancing in Hugh’s direction are unnoticed by the class. 

**(7.)**

On Hugh’s seventh visit, Elnor actually smiles and nods at him in greeting, both men showing up five minutes earlier than usual to the Thursday session. Elnor takes a few quick steps towards Hugh with a look of determination. His mouth parts on a breath as though he has something to say, but at the last minute Elnor is pulled away by an even more determined student, and moments later the session begins. 

Hugh goes home that night wondering what Elnor had to tell him. - If Elnor intended to tell Hugh anything at all. Restlessly, Hugh runs through every iteration of how the unspoken conversation could have run. It inevitably ends in yet another frustrating night of semi-aroused sleeplessness that leaves Hugh feeling desperately tired and irritable all day.

**(8.)**

On the eighth visit Elnor manages to strike Hugh dumb when he finally manages to linger at the ending of the class, as opposed to Elnor being dragged away by his students as he usually does. Elnor reaches sideways, stopping Hugh from heading to the exit with a large warm hand upon his arm, long fingers curling firm around Hugh’s bicep. 

Hugh stops abruptly to face him and catches Elnor parting his lips in order to speak. A shared breath of mutual interest passes before Elnor swallows once and asks if Hugh would like to... _spend a few hours drinking together after Elnor’s final evening class?_ There’s a great bar Elnor likes visiting, nearby. Elnor’s question is punctuated with a little squeeze of his fingers around Hugh’s bicep, and a smile with dimples that renders Hugh wholly incapable of saying no to anyone. 

Elnor pads away in his bare feet across the tatami mats to prepare for his next session, and Hugh leaves to wander around outside the dojo and find something else to do until Elnor is ready. 

*****

By nine o’clock, Hugh is finally walking into a bar, following Elnor. Who, out of his uniform that he wears at the dojo, has the painfully cool fashion sense of an escaped member of a J-pop boy band. The evening starts with drinks and flirting until Hugh’s head is pleasantly fuzzy and Elnor’s eyes are dark and hooded and whatever highbrow thoughts that Hugh is thinking keep getting sidetracked by the dark-lashed glances Elnor throws his way. It’s completely different now to have removed the barrier of the training room floor, where each of them is looking openly, and is looked at in return. 

One drink turns to three drinks, then very nearly into five. Until Elnor sways in and murmurs directly against Hugh’s ear that he’d very much like Hugh to follow him home. If Hugh wanted. The heat of Elnor’s breath is smooth and wet and promising. Elnor follows up on his offer with a hard squeeze of his hand against Hugh’s upper thigh, making Hugh shiver. At this point Hugh is buzzed and Elnor’s tipsy - and it’s probably not the best idea in terms of anything. But Elnor is eagerly offering and Hugh is not quite enough of a good man to say no to someone as pretty as that. 

So Hugh doesn’t say no and he follows Elnor home in a daze of arousal. Then they’re stopping short in front of what Elnor says is his door and Elnor keys the lock and they fall inside together. Both of them herds the other against the door inside the darkened apartment. Hugh’s back hits the solid surface first as Elnor stumbles into him. A hungry gasp and Elnor is leaning forwards with his fingers curled behind Hugh’s head, tugging on Hugh's short hair. At the same time, Hugh drags his palms to Elnor’s shoulders from their rest around Elnor’s waist, feeling muscles toned from martial artistry shifting under Elnor’s clothes. Elnor clutches his fingers in Hugh’s hair and palms along Hugh's jawline. Then slides their mouths together for this long-imagined kiss- 

\- And then, 

Fumbled guidance down the narrow hallway until they sway into what must be Elnor’s bedroom, eyes half-closed and mouths connected. Nipping, brushing, breathing hard. Fingers twist buttons through the holes that fasten shirts, jumpers tugged upward, zippers pulled down and denim pushed eagerly over each-other’s hips. Tripping on shoes and toeing their socks off. Self-conscious laughter. Standing straight again, reaching for each other. Appreciation and eagerness spoken against collarbones and ribs and other points of bliss as they grope their way to mutual nudity -

\- Then,

The huff of Elnor’s mattress and the whoomph of flying bedclothes landing on the floor. More laughter, terrible innuendo spoken by Hugh’s ear. Elnor’s wit returned. A smile again. Then touches focused on exploring and groping and mapping out the joins of hip and abdomen, pectorals, the dip of clavicles and Adam's apple. Legs tangled together, small hairs tickling and pulling at the drag of shins and arms and thighs. Elnor’s mouth against Hugh’s chest - 

\- And then, 

Elnor expertly rolling them over, holding Hugh captive with the toned weight of his body and fire bright in his eyes, even in the darkened bedroom. Emphatic evidence of their arousal trapped hard and heavy between their stomachs. A pause for shared consent. Nodding, groaning. Hips bucked, chests pressed. Then, warm hands, hot mouths and deliberate movements. Another gasp, a plea that’s begged. The bed sheets rustling, mattress bowed then tipping back. Hummed approval. A lid uncapped. The sounds of foil unwrapped, then lube slicked over a palm. Breath. Wanting. Cocks gripped together. Two sighs, _at last_. Elnor’s tremble of effort to keep enough space between their hips to let his hand slide up and down with Hugh’s own fingers wrapped between them. Abdomens straining. Gasping, helpless sounds and drawn-out breath. The sweat-damp sheen of effort beading their chests. Hugh touches Elnor’s forearm, brushes his knuckles against the strong flex of his hip, digs his fingers to the pleasing concave of Elnor’s arse cheek. Wonders if he’ll leave a bruise as dark as the one that Elnor’s sucking now onto the angle of Hugh’s neck - 

And then…

*****

Hugh wakes up to a blinding sunlit morning with a sex-sore ache in his muscles and an alcohol-dry tension in his forehead. He blinks, turning his face from the pillow, to the suspicious yellow gazes of two large and dappled tabby cats. One sits on the windowsill, the other sits curled like a disapproving relative at the corner of the bed. Both are wholly judgmental and entirely unimpressed. The larger cat glares down at him from the window where it has pushed aside the curtain to get closer to the sun. Its tail flicks like a metronome made of black and grey fluff, while the smaller cat yawns and kneads its white paws against the rumpled bedding. Carelessly bored with this current house guest’s waking. 

Hugh turns over, onto his back, and pulls his arm out from beneath him where his body weight has forced the limb to fall asleep. Pins and needles prickle at his forearm, his fingers tingling as he groans and winces the fizzing pain away. Hugh stares at the ceiling and wonders at the lack of Elnor, up until the moment that the mattress dips, and there he is. 

Hugh sits up against the pillows as the mattress cat uncurls itself and prances to the floor. A short noise of annoyance like a drawn-out ‘ _mrwoaarrrrr’_ , then it’s headed elsewhere with its indignant tabby tail held high. The window cat just watches, then turns its head. Quickly losing interest as though the world outside the window has grown captivating once again.

Then there’s coffee, attached to Elnor, who carries the hot mug to the bed with him and pushes it into Hugh’s hands with an indulgent smile and a gentle greeting. Hugh returns the expression, still blinking. The usual morning-after conversation, sleepy exchanges, asking the other if he slept well. Then Elnor thinks of something and Hugh watches in confusion as he rummages through last night’s discarded clothing until he comes up with Hugh's phone. 

Elnor’s bent knee nudges once against Hugh’s thigh, where Hugh has crossed his legs together on the bed, a sheet draped over his lap. Elnor is only clothed below the waist: upper body delightfully bare and beautiful in the morning sunshine. Long black hair knotted loosely at the nape of Elnor’s neck. There are love bites on his collarbones, dark and purple on his lovely skin. Hugh blames fatigue on the way he is unable to do anything but stare.

Elnor slaps the phone playfully into Hugh’s hand, snapping him out of it. A smirking grin. 

“Unlock this please?” 

Hugh takes his phone and does as Elnor bids him, then hands it back and watches Elnor open his contacts and type in his number and text it cheerfully to Elnor’s phone. It makes a chiming noise from somewhere in the bedroom. Elnor hands Hugh’s phone back, dancing his fingertips over Hugh’s wrist. 

Then Elnor says he has to go, but Hugh should definitely call him: _if he’d like to maybe do this again_? Hugh is drawn forward, the steaming mug of coffee held carefully in the closing space between them as Hugh lowers his lashes and drops his gaze to Elnor’s lips. Closer. Elnor cups his palm against Hugh’s face, those long fingers warm against Hugh’s cheek. Thumb light against the lower curve of Hugh’s bottom lip. 

A moment’s breath.

Then goodbye kisses over Hugh's coffee mug until Hugh nearly spills its contents from just how hot and sweet and good it is until Elnor tears himself away with a delighted, breathless laugh. Elnor stands, one hand furtively adjusts his trousers as he turns and rifles through his wardrobe for a jumper and a shirt. Elnor pulls them on while Hugh watches, the low purr of the window cat is loud behind Hugh’s head.

Elnor’s bright smile twinkles, reaching up to retie his hair. Cozy in his baggy jumper.

Elnor says, “I’ve got to go. There’s a new toothbrush on the bathroom counter for you and a towel if you want to shower.” An amused grin, “my bathroom is in gaijin style! It’s super friendly.” It pulls a laugh from Hugh. 

Then, “Don’t steal my shit or burn my house down won't you?” Elnor says, then jokes about his Aikido mastery and his ability to hunt Hugh down and remove his kneecaps if needed. 

Another kiss. Lighter and less heated than the last, but no less heartfelt. Then Elnor is leaving. _He’s expected at the dojo. He has students in an hour, though he would love to stay._ _Hugh should call him_ , he reiterates, pointing at Hugh on his mattress with his forefinger and thumb, _Hugh should definitely call him later. Or text_! Demanded with a boyish laugh.

And then Elnor is out the door and down the street, glancing up towards his bedroom window with his squashed smile trapped between his teeth, before Hugh knows what else to say. 

*****

Later, Hugh sits on the train in last night’s clothing, teeth brushed and body showered and he’s smiling out the window on his own way home. 

There’s one recent message from Soji. An emoji with confetti and a tooter and a party hat. Hugh huffs a laugh out through his nose and opens up a new text message. He scrolls quickly through his contacts until he finds the one marked **‘Elnor.’**

He writes:

_‘I burned down your house and stole both of your cats. They sold well on the black market. My bad. Let me make it up to you with dinner on Thursday with the profits?’_

And hits send.

And later, from Elnor:

_‘So brutal. I told you!’_

A laughing emoji. Then:

 _‘But ok, see you Thursday, since you owe me-'_ a pause of mischief that sings loudly in the gap _, 'Sugar daddy.’_

A broken heart and two emoji-kittens, then several faces crying with laughter and another broken heart.

Hugh snorts his amusement as he hits reply, _‘I’ll meet you at the dojo - Thursday night.’_

*****

**The end.**

**Author's Note:**

> 外人 (gaijin) - foreigner - used here as a slang substitute for ‘westerner’


End file.
